To be successful in the NFL, you must have a great offensive line. Even with superstars at every other position, winning games is a tall task without a strong front five. Here are the ten best offensive linemen in the game. For variety, there will be two players from each position on the line.

10. Joe Thuney, LG, New England Patriots

The man most responsible for shutting down Aaron Donald in the Super Bowl followed up his performance with an All-Pro season in 2019. New England, a team that doesn’t use their franchise tag often, made sure to use it on Thuney.

9. Ronnie Stanley, LT, Baltimore Ravens

It was no coincidence that Lamar Jackson’s ascension coincided with the breakout of Ronnie Stanley. PFF’s #1 pass-blocker allowed just six pressures during the entire regular season.

8. Rodney Hudson, C, Las Vegas Raiders

Hudson has never received his due thanks to the presence of Jason Kelce and Travis Frederick, but he’s been right up there with those players for years. Known mostly for his incredible run-blocking, Hudson doubles as an elite pass protector, allowing zero sacks since 2018.

7. Brandon Brooks, RG, Philadelphia Eagles

Despite a torn Achilles in the 2018 postseason, Brandon Brooks returned in time to be the best guard in the league during the 2019 season. He notched his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection last year.

6. Lane Johnson, RT, Philadelphia Eagles

Johnson doesn’t get nearly as much love from non-Eagles fans as he should. He’s made a living out of shutting down premier edge rushers from Von Miller to Khalil Mack to Demarcus Lawrence.

5. Mitchell Schwartz, RT, Kansas City Chiefs

An All-Pro in four consecutive seasons, Schwartz has been rock-solid protecting the right side of Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes. He’s started 128/128 games since he was drafted in 2012.

4. David Bakhtiari, LT, Green Bay Packers

As the league’s best player at the most important position on the line, it feels criminal to have Bakhtiari out of the top three. He’s repeatedly held his own in a division full of premier pass rushers while holding the fort for a QB that likes to hold onto the football.

3. Zack Martin, RG, Dallas Cowboys

The literal definition of consistency, Zack Martin has made both the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team in every season of his career. Even Aaron Donald (who was drafted in the same year) can’t say that.

2. Quenton Nelson, LG, Indianapolis Colts

Nelson took the league by storm in his rookie year, anchoring what was the best line in football during 2018. He proved his first year wasn’t a fluke by not allowing a sack and notching another All-Pro selection in 2019.

1. Jason Kelce, C, Philadelphia Eagles

With three consecutive first-team All-Pro selections, Kelce is making a case for the Hall of Fame. Insanely athletic for a man of his size, Kelce’s ability to get out in space and his downfield block is second to none. 

Statistics according to profootballreference.com

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer

Eagles vs. Seahawks Review: Eagles Fall Below .500 

The Eagles offense was abysmal yet again as Philadelphia stumbled to a 17-9 loss to the Seahawks. Here’s what we learned:

1. The Eagles Defense is for Real

Frustrated isn’t a harsh enough word to describe how Eagles fans felt when the team failed to land a corner at the trade deadline. Turns out they didn’t need one. The return of Jalen Mills along with several others has bolstered an Eagles defense that hasn’t allowed more than 17 points since Week 7. I was skeptical of the recent success because of the unimpressive slate of offenses they’d faced in that span, but another exceptional performance (this time against MVP-candidate Russell Wilson) has given me a reason to believe. Rashaad Penny found some success during the contest, but for the most part, it was an amazing effort from Jim Schwartz’s unit. It should be noted that it could’ve just as easily been 28-9 if not for a couple of mistakes from the Seahawks, but at the end of the day, Russell Wilson and Co. only put up 17.

2. Carson Wentz and the Offense…

To put it simply, the Eagles offense sucks. It was difficult to watch our defense play inspired football just for our offense to either turn it over or fizzle out. The game was very much within reach for basically the entire contest and they could never close the gap. Carson Wentz played bad football for the second week in a row, losing two fumbles and throwing two interceptions. He had some ridiculously bad throws including one where Miles Sanders was alone in the flat and Wentz sailed it about a mile over his head. There was a slight chance that Sanders would have scored if the ball had made it to him. Wentz also didn’t show much pocket awareness. One of his fumbles came when he was holding the ball carelessly even when he knew that there were defensive linemen swarming around him. 

Not much needs to be said about the receiving corps. Alshon Jeffery was a late scratch, so Philadelphia was even more shorthanded than originally expected. The receivers once again couldn’t gain any separation and once again couldn’t make plays on balls that were slightly off-target. Dallas Goedert lost a fumble on a crucial drive, but luckily for him, Chris Carson did his best to give it right back. It didn’t matter. Not much to be happy about in a game where the Eagles couldn’t move the ball through the air against the 28th-ranked pass defense.

3. But It’s Not Over

There are years where the NFC East is an absolute powerhouse (such as 2016 where the 13-3 Cowboys and 11-5 Giants both made the playoffs while the 7-9 Eagles had a great record for a fourth-place team) and other years where the division just stinks (like this year). The Eagles are currently 5-6, coming off a two-game losing streak where they managed to score 19 points combined, and still have a favorable path to the division crown. After this, the Eagles play Miami, New York, Washington, Dallas, and then New York again. Dallas (6-5) lost to New England and will play Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles (Rams), Philly, and Washington. Philadelphia’s schedule is much easier than the Cowboys, and the division might end up coming down to the second matchup between these two. I’m not sure if Philadelphia can win anything in the playoffs, but crazier things have happened.

4. Offensive Line

For those wondering why Andre Dillard wasn’t playing on the right side, you now see why. Prior to the game, he compared playing both sides of the line to trying to write with your non-dominant hand. He was eventually taken out in favor of Vaitai. Brandon Brooks missed most of the game with an illness and Matt Pryor took his place after Vaitai was moved to right tackle. Pryor recorded an impressive pancake on Ziggy Ansah but left us with a worse memory by committing a drive-killing penalty. This team can’t get healthy fast enough.

5. Fire Mike Groh

Every week I say the same thing, there’s just no reason that this man should have a job. Hopefully, Philadelphia is smart enough to not promote internally when it’s time to hire the next OC.

The Eagles (5-6) get a confidence-builder next week at Miami (2-9).

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer

Make room for Marlon Humphrey, the newest of elite corners

When you think of elite cornerbacks in the NFL everyone knows the usual suspects. The Patrick Patterson’s, Richard Sherman’s, Stephon Gilmore’s of the world are all well renowned for their skills in coverage and turnovers. But if you haven’t heard yet, there is a new cornerback that has been quietly been making a name for himself over the last two years. His name is Marlon Humphrey from the Baltimore Ravens, and soon enough the nation will remember that name.  

Humphrey is a former first-round pick of the Ravens in 2017. His career stats over the last two and a half seasons don’t seem that like much (102 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, 35 pass deflections, 6 interceptions, and 2 defensive touchdowns). Yet the stats don’t tell the full story, Humphrey has been gradually developing into one of the best cover corners in the league. For the last season and a half, he has been shadowing the number one receivers due to the injury of Jimmy Smith and has exceeded expectations time and time again. AJ Green, Michael Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, and Keenan Allen all have been held in check when number 44 lines up across from them. He is a prototypical cornerback for the new age; big, fast, and physical with great length. 

Just this year, he has shadowed OBJ, Tyreek Hill, Larry Fitzgerald, Juju Smith-Schuster, Julian Edelman and Tyler Lockett and only given up a catch rate of 51.6%, which ranks 7th among cornerbacks in the league. He is only allowing a passer rating of 75.1 when targeted which puts him among the top 10 in a league, where coverage skills matter. While having a coverage rating of +34.4% which ranks 9th among all cornerbacks. 

Not only has he displayed the cover skills coveted by many teams, but he is also finding himself to be a magnet for the football this year. He has produced two interceptions, nine pass deflections, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries on the season (two FR went for touchdowns). Only nine games into this season and he is showing the flashes of greatness in which the Ravens saw when he was drafted 17th overall. 

His newfound pull on the football is also showing in the most critical times of the games. His game-altering strip and recovery of Juju in the overtime period in Week 5 set up the game-winning field goal for Justin Tucker. His 18-yard scoop and score against the Seahawks were the game-sealing edge needed to put the game out of reach. As was his 70-yard scoop and score against the Patriots which came as the Patriots were marching down the field to take the lead. That score setup up a lead the Ravens wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the game. 

He is receiving high praise from his teammates as well. They’ve seen his work ethic and his time he dedicates to his craft finally paying off for the league to notice. “Marlon’s just living right,” 6x Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas said after the win against New England. “He’s having an All-Pro year.” Outside linebacker Matthew Judon stated, “Marlon has been, week in and week out, our best player.” 

That kind of praise is what people are starting to see as the norm for the cornerback.  With matchups against DeAndre Hopkins, Emmanuel Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr., and Juju Smith-Schuster still on the docket, he can further cement his position among the elite in the NFL. By seasons end, we just might be discussing our top three corners in the league and have every reason to hear Marlon’s name among them.

-By: Darren Braxton

Writer/Podcaster